Snow and ice affect grazing

Wintering livestock on crop residues and pasture is one way for producers to save money on feed. However, snow and icy conditions can make it tough for animals to paw through for a bite.

Proper planning, keeping an eye on the forecast, and knowing how to handle snow and ice are critical for success. The amount of difficulty animals will have depends on what they are grazing and the way the precipitation falls, according to Ben Beckman, an Extension educator at the University of Nebraska.

For example, in a windrow grazing situation where fluffy light hay has a lot of air underneath, animals can punch through, even with a substantial layer of snow or ice on top, according to Beckman.

"But that's a lot different than if we're grazing corn residue lying on the ground," he says. "Even a quarter inch of ice or a little bit of snow really makes grazing in those situations difficult."

Heavy, wet snow is harder to dig through than dry fluff. If snow drifts or melts, and then compresses or forms a crust, cattle will have issues with that as well. An inch of ice that melts in a day or two can have less of an impact than 1⁄2 inch that sticks around for several days.

Beckman says every situation is different, but in general, about 6 inches of snow or 1⁄4 inch of ice will make animals work much harder for a bite.

"That's going to be probably a little bit different for smaller ruminants just because they don't have the weight and the oomph to break through as much," he says. "Once we go beyond that point, chances are they might still be going out and grazing and getting some benefit, but they're having to work a lot harder for it. The energy that they're expending at that point starts to make it a little bit more questionable, and we're probably going to have to be doing some supplementation."

Keep an eye on animal body condition and be ready to supplement the diet with energy and protein if needed, especially if temperatures drop, Beckman adds.